Don't Let Me Get Me
by M. Somniator
Summary: I would do anything just to hear your laugh, to see your smile, and to hold your hand when it's not cold. How did you get here, Regina, and how can I make sure you wake up? Swan Queen.
1. The Beginning

"Tell me what happened."

The snarl on her face is one that Henry had never seen before – even when he took off that day from school to play at the play ground. Everyone is terrified; Mary Margaret has tears threatening her eyes and David is holding her back from running to grab her daughter.

Gold is up against the wall. Smirk ever-so wide upon his face. And Emma, snarling, face red with anger and her hands gripped so tightly on his jacket that the material was going to be forever ruined.

His head is slammed another time against the wall. Behind Emma, Mary Margaret whines and David pushes her head into his shoulder. Henry tries to run forward, but David grabs him with the shake of his head.

"Tell. Me."

"Why do you care so much, Dearie?" Gold questions, smirking before reaching up and slapping her hands away. Emma finally lets him go, lets him walk around to the opposite side of his counter. He slides his fingertips over the glass, looks up at Emma, and finally replies, "To know what happened, one must understand Regina."

Emma's heart crushes. Even her name, her face flashing in her mind, just causes her pain. She desperately wants to help, to hold Regina, tell her everything will be perfectly fine but she's lying there in the hospital, motionless, somehow still breathing even though she is barely alive.

She just wants to help. She wants to bring her back.

"Then help me." Emma states, crossing her arms and standing up stick straight. "Tell me, Gold."

She knew most of Regina's secrets. Well, maybe not all of them. All Emma knows of is how Regina was in the Enchanted Forest and how she was the moment she arrived in Storybrooke. She was cold, closed off with her arms always folded across her chest. And slowly, she became human.

Still, not many cut her a break besides her family: Mary Margaret, David, Henry…and Emma.

Emma tends to let things go more now than ever because Regina…she's special.

Gold is still smirking as he reaches into his cabinet and pulls out a small vial of berry colored liquid. He swirls it around in front of Emma's eyes and as she goes to grab it, he pulls it back.

"All magic -."

"Comes with a price. Spare me the speech, Gold. What does it do?"

"It's a spell. A strong one. Only one of a kind. Once opened, you whisper the name of the person you wish to be, and it takes you through their life bit, by bit. You feel what they felt, their emotional pain, their physical pain..."

Emma reaches forward and snags the vial away from his hand, sticking it in her pocket before heading through the door. She had to see Regina; make sure she is okay - still breathing. Dr. Wale is taking good care of her, I'm sure, she thinks, but I need to see for myself.

"How did you get here, dearie?" Gold calls. Emma's hand grips around the handle, and she looks down at it. How did I get here, she asks herself. How did I begin to care about Regina? With her head bowed, she shuts her eyes and recounts the look on Regina's face as she sat alone at Granny's diner with an empty pan that was once filled with lasagna. Her heart sinks and she bites her lip to fight back the glaze that is forming over her eyes. And her hand tightens, turns the handle and pulls the door open with the ding of the bell.

"It doesn't matter. I need to help her."

* * *

She had to get away. She lashed harder, going faster and stronger. The wind running it's fingers through her short hair and she flashed back to the times with her curly tendrils whipping around her face when she rode horseback. The stallion beneath her huffed, coming to a halt at the edge of the cliff.

Regina wasn't going to jump. It wasn't the answer to her problems. She had decided to skip borders and stay in the Forbidden Forest for a few hours. Or just until around dinner time when Henry may be at Granny's with Emma and The Two Idiots. She liked to randomly go there sometimes since he likes to grab a chocolate milkshake around lunch, or get dinner with Emma when she didn't feel like cooking. Emma would smile when she saw her, and Regina would smile back as she took her seat beside her. Sometimes Emma would pat her thigh or occasionally nudge her arm, but it went unnoticed by Henry who was normally too enticed by his story book.

Her relationship with Emma bloomed wonderfully, but Regina still felt like she had to get away. So that's why she came here, somewhere Emma couldn't directly get to without magic, to think and to be alone.

There wasn't much to think about, but when the wind blew gently and the stallion rested it's head on her shoulder, Regina had smiled and ran her fingertips over the soft animal.

"I missed being here," she spoke, resting her head on the horse. "I missed the view from here. Unfortunately the curse destroyed everything else…my home, Emma's home…"

With a huff from the horse once more, the brunette had laughed, "I know, should have thought that one through and told Gold. Coming here without a place to stay is kind of inconvenient. I should have at least…"

The stables. With the horses and the open field where she found Snow. That should have at least remained. But it held horrible memories and Regina did not want to face them. Not now and never again.

It was too much pain.

But Emma makes her forget about all of it: her past, her horrible past at that, and she makes her the girl she was before she turned into her mother. She was the woman before she lost David, before her innocence was lost and before she gave into the darkness of magic.

Regina smiled again and she remembered the night Emma had come over for dinner – the night it all started. Unfortunately it was due to too much wine and an overdose of red pepper flakes, but it was such a high that Regina would never forget. Emma's hands on her skin, her fingertips running through her hair and the squeaking of the leather couch. And it was the thrill of knowing that upstairs, her son was fast asleep in his childhood bedroom. They had to be quiet and with Regina's constant childhood giggles when Emma's lips brushed against her throat, the risk was higher.

Emma refused to acknowledge that night for quite some time. Months. But it happened again, with less and less wine each time and no magic. Those endless nights were perfect and the night Emma stayed, Regina woke up feeling protected and…whole.

The blonde was wrapped up in her arms, her tendrils sprawled across Regina's crisp, white sheets. A small smile spread across her lips, mumbling something incoherent before pulling the comforter over her face. Regina laughed at that quietly to herself, running her nails through Emma's hair, scratching her scalp gently because she knew she liked it. She still hadn't awaken by time Regina crawled out of the bed and made breakfast for herself, but by time the second round of pancakes was cooked, Emma was up and dragging her feet across the marble floor.

She was wearing the same thing she wore the day before – her signature jeans and tee shirt albeit the boots and leather jacket. Notably called "The Walk of Shame." Emma took a seat at the breakfast bar, her eyes watching Regina flip the pancakes like she was some sort of professional. She then remembered that Henry raved about Regina's blueberry pancakes and how he missed them on Sunday mornings. Emma tried to make them once, but the half cooked pancake ended up on the floor with a splat.

"You were fast asleep," Regina had said, still keeping an eye on the food. "I didn't want to wake you."

"You could have. I'm used to waking up early to walk Henry to school."

The final pancake made three and the plate was handed to Emma with a side of homemade blueberry syrup. Digging in with her fork, Emma paused, and looked up slowly.

"Is it not good..?"

"There's no apples in this, right?" She winked and Regina smirked, shaking her head.

"I think you slept enough last night. No magic needed."

"Yeah, I did."

"What are we, Emma?"

Emma had stopped mid-chew and looked up at Regina. She was stood there, in an oversized button down shirt that Emma assumed was Grahams, with her coffee to her lips and her eyes downcast. Regina seemed so scared, and raw, and almost too human to be "The Evil Queen" that the people of Storybrooke knew her to be. It was one of the first times Emma saw her with her guard down, and it was the first time Regina had ever seen Emma so hurt.

Regina, staring off to the land from the cliff, wondered why Emma was so hurt that morning. After all, the following day Emma barely spoke a word. That was the month that Emma never mentioned the morning but the two went back to sleepovers with too much wine. She drew a line in the dust that was beside her, swirls that waved further and further out. They were barely noticeable now since it was so dark out.

At that moment in time, Regina didn't want to go back to calling Emma "Miss Swan" and having Emma call her "Madame Mayor" (although it did have a nice ring to it in the bedroom). She wanted Emma by her side, holding her hand and occasionally have her wrap her arm around her at Granny's. She wanted her protection – Emma wielding her sword and swinging it at anyone who dare threaten her.

She wanted to move forward, but naturally, Emma was scared.

And that was the look of hurt in her eyes. It was the pain of the past bubbling up inside of her.

Regina rose to her feet, patting off her rear that was now covered with dust. She had no idea what time it was in Storybrooke but she knew by now that it was going to be late. Hopefully Emma wasn't worried…

Well, even if she was, she wouldn't show it.

Regina knew she cared but Emma was just a tough nut to crack.

She shooed the horse away and when the clacking of the heels finally dissipated, Regina had pulled the folded hat out of her pocket and twirled it into the night. And when she disappeared into the world of Storybrooke, she felt like part of her was missing.

At the moment Regina appeared on the other side, she heard her phone buzzing the familiar ringtone that Henry had set as a joke. It was the instrumental version of "The Cell Block Tango" which he had fallen in love with when he walked in on her and Emma watching Chicago.

Regina had a love for musicals.

She had dashed over to her phone after kicking the hat so it stopped spinning. It was Emma and Regina couldn't help but smile.

"Emma, hi." She had said, breathlessly. On the other line, Emma was walking behind her parents and her son, hiding the fact that she was talking to Regina. Regina could hear the heels of her boots clicking on the sidewalk.

"I was wondering if we could talk."

And that was the night that everything had started.


	2. The Memory with the Stable Boy

Emma comes to the hospital every day now. She comes with new flowers once a week, preferably blood red roses because it reminds her of Regina's lipstick. That and whenever she went to Regina's for dinner she always had fresh cut roses from her garden. Today they're yellow, though, because today was going to be different. And Emma thinks that the room needs a different color than deep red.

It needs…happiness.

So she pulls the week old roses out of the crystal vase that Henry had picked out from the house last month, places them in the trash and then replaces the old with the new. Surprisingly, the yellow roses brighten up the room beautifully.

Emma smiles to herself before pulling up her designated chair. She sits beside Regina's comatose form and takes her hand in hers. It's still cold and the blonde gets goosebumps every time she holds it, but she does it to make sure that Regina knows she's here. She had done some research immediately when the incident happened and she found that sometimes those who are comatose can still hear and feel what is going on around them. The days Emma felt really out of it was when she brought Neil's guitar and played any song she knew how to.

Regina liked music. Well, likes. She's still here, Emma thought to herself.

She runs her thumb over the back of Regina's hand, keeping her eyes on her still frame. Regina is breathing on her own, and it's a good sign according to Dr. Wale. "Her organs are working, she's breathing on her own and her brain waves are well and alert" was what he had said, actually. So pretty much, she's just in a deep sleep.

After it happened, everyone's first reaction was to make sure that she wasn't in a sleeping spell. When that explanation was ruled out by Mr. Gold, people had resolved themselves to the fact that Regina was just in a coma. It has been over a month now and that is why Emma snapped.

She wants her Queen back now more than ever.

"I hope you're okay in there," she says, still rubbing her thumb back and fourth over her hand. "I hope your dreams are sweet and nothing bad is making you upset. You don't deserve it. You have enough going on."

There's nothing. No gentle squeeze or muscle spasm to show that she is listening. Emma's heart sinks just a little deeper as she signs, leaning over and placing her forehead on Regina's icy forearm.

"Why can't I find out what happened to you, Regina…Why don't I know…"

She chokes on her breath, bites her lip. All she does is cry now when she's here; she hates seeing Regina so quiet, so lifeless even though her heart is still beating. Her grip tightens on Regina's forearm as she tries her hardest to not cry.

But there is a solution – according to Gold – that if she takes this potion and lives Regina's life in several increments, she would know what happened. But it would be painful and Emma would ultimately want to throw herself off of a cliff because knows that there were some things that she had done that hurt Regina.

She didn't want to feel that…

"I am supposed to protect you…and I can't do anything…"

But if she took the potion, one sip every night, she would know what happened and she would find a way to get Regina back. And all Emma wants is to have her Queen back in her arms.

"Emma?"

Her head snaps up before she wipes the tears from her eyes. Her parents stand there with a bag from Granny's, probably some lunch considering she hasn't eaten anything so far today. Henry is bouncing a basketball in the hallway behind them and all Emma hears is the smacking sound of the ball colliding with the tile.

"Are you okay?"

Boing.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Boing.

"We brought you some soup and grilled cheese from Granny's…extra cheddar. Henry said that's how you order it sometimes."

Boing.

"Yeah, thanks."

Emma had to admit, Henry is cute sometimes. He remembers little things but right now Emma wants to rip his head off if he slams the basketball against the tile one more –

Boing.

"Henry!" Emma shouts, glaring at her son. Henry stops in his tracks and he grabs the ball with two hands, walking towards his grandparents and mother. Mary Margaret hesitantly sits beside Emma, taking a wrapped grilled cheese sandwich out and handing it to her daughter.

Her stomach growls but her eyes are staying focused on Regina. Who is probably hungry herself and smelling the grilled cheese and hearty chicken soup. The only problem is that Regina puts red pepper flakes on everything, especially things with cheese, so she would say something is "missing" if she had a bite.

"You need to eat, Emma," Mary Margaret soothes, reaching out and touching Emma's arm. She knows she's right, she needs to eat, but she can't…

"Emma, please eat." David says, staying on the opposite side of the room. He leans against the door frame, keeping a look out for anyone that may come by to see Regina. David knows that Regina hasn't had many visitors, but people would begin to question if they saw Emma Swan leaning over The Evil Queen's bedside with tears in her eyes.

David and Mary Margaret aren't stupid – they know Emma has feelings for Regina. Strong ones at that. And neither of them had any inkling of them until Regina ended up like this. Emma was at her bedside every day, every night, bringing roses and sometimes a bottle of her favorite wine. Emma never drank wine, though, only when she was with Regina, and when Mary Margaret looked at the bottle, she recognized it as the one she once saw Regina holding herself.

They only found this out because Emma would bring back the exact same bottle.

The two hadn't asked any questions since the incident. They figured it was a bad idea.

Emma slowly unwraps the food and bites into it, moaning at how perfect it tastes. Henry laughs, "Told you it's her favorite."

David ruffles his hair and pats his shoulder as Mary Margaret pulls the soup out of the bag and the disposable spoon. Once Emma devours the sandwich, she moves on to the soup that warms her from the inside out.

"Thanks." She mumbles, throwing the empty containers and bag in with the roses.

"Will you be okay, Emma?" Henry asks, still clutching the basketball close to his torso. Emma smiles, nodding, because her son is just too sweet sometimes. It's almost as if he's the adult right now and she is the child.

"We need to talk about what Gold gave you."

Out of the corner of Emma's eye, she sees her mother glare at David. He doesn't wince because he is used to it, but he sighs. "We can't keep putting it off."

"I just want Regina back. And if I take this, and relive everything, I can find out what happened and then…then I can have her back." Emma looks up, "We can have her back."

She's trying to make it sound like it's more for Henry than her, but at this moment in time, Emma is selfish. She doesn't care about anyone but herself; everyone else's problems are theirs because this problem, Regina, she has to deal with before anything else.

"Emma that potion I've never even heard of." Mary Margaret says, taking Emma's iced hands in hers. "I don't trust it."

Emma sighs, looking from her mothers brown eyes to Regina's closed ones.

"Gold said it would relive her memories. I could see if there was…"

"Emma, you can't change the past. You need to let go and change the future."

It bugged the blonde to no end when either one of her parents were right, or even Henry for that matter. She's lived on her own for so long that if anyone ever told her what to do, she would become angry. Not give in, but become angry and frustrated. She's her own person, no one else's, so why should she have to listen?

"Maybe you should spend some time alone. Collect your thoughts."

* * *

Emma was forced into the apartment by David picking her up and slinging her over his shoulders. After about ten minutes of kicking and punching and clawing, she decided just to cross her arms and allow her to be carried to her ultimate doom. David took the keys, locked all the windows and left Emma to her sanity for approximately two hours so she could come to her senses. Of course, they were the senses that no one wanted her to come to but her ultimate decision was to take the potion.

The decision took about twenty minutes because she did try to talk herself out of it for her family's sake, but it didn't work. Her love and admiration for Regina won the battle between logic and love.

For the remainder of her jail time Emma paced back and forth in the kitchen, laid in bed, and then decided to make herself a sandwich. Now, she sits at the kitchen table picking off pieces of bread and cheese and turkey, popping them into her mouth to soothe her stomach.

She wants to take the potion, but she feels like its far too early. It's not even dinner time at this point and she knows that the three of them will be back soon. There were several ways she could get out of this place, and the ideas start to buzz in her head before she grabs a metal spatula.

Wiping the remainder of her food in the trash, Emma walks over to the window sill where she knows that there is a pipe adjacent to the wall so she could climb down. She jams the spatula in to the crevice of the sill and the bottom of the window and starts to wiggle, and when that doesn't work, she jams it to the top and wiggles some more.

Faster and harder.

Why the fuck isn't this thing working, she thinks to herself. I used to do this all the time…

Emma pushes the instrument in farther, hoping to hit some type of mechanism between the wall and where it locks. When the spatula stops moving, then it becomes a problem.

This is Mary Margaret's favorite spatula…this is not good. This is not good at all.

Her hands tighten around the handle as she pulls as hard as she can. The thing isn't budging and at this point, she could hear several footprints coming towards the door.

"Do you think she's going to do it, David..?"

"We can't stop her if she does. She has your ambition."

"What's for dinner?"

"We'll ask your mother when we get in there."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" she swears to herself, backing off the window sill before pulling the curtains closed. "That should work…"

The door handle starts to wiggle. They're starting to unlock the several locks that they placed on the door months ago. Emma looks around, trying to find a way to possibly look like she wasn't doing anything at all. She's a good liar, but her parents…they see right through her.

So she jumps into bed and covers herself because that was the only idea she could think of at the time. With the curtains drawn, it looks like she could have been napping anyways.

Good thinking, she says to herself.

Finally the door opens and the three walk in. Emma hears Mary Margaret coo at her sleeping daughter as Henry runs over and jumps on her bed. "Emma! Wake up!"

"Henry, let her sleep."

"Yeah sport, she needs it."

Emma slowly stretches, pretending that she was asleep, before sitting up and ruffling Henry's hair. She smiles. "Where did you guys go?"

"Grandpa taught me how to sword fight!"

Her eyebrow arches at her father, who she refuses to call 'Dad,' "You taught my son how to sword fight?"

David shrugs, crossing his arms and chuckling to himself. "Hey, he wanted to learn. And Snow was there so it's not like she would have let things get too rough."

"I made sure they used sticks."

"Well, you kind of left that part out." Emma shakes her head and crawls out of bed, stretching. When Mary Margaret starts to stride towards the curtains hiding the stuck spatula, Emma darts in front of her and grabs her shoulders. The brunette is astonished, looking at her daughter with her eyes wide as Emma hugs her close.

"I'm so happy you guys are back." She mutters, her eyes wide and darting around.

I need to get them out of here…she's going to flip if she finds the spatula.

Emma pulls away and smiles at all three of them. "How about Granny's for dinner? Huh?"

"Emma…we had Granny's for lunch."

"It's always time for Granny's! Come on! I really want a cheeseburger." She grabs her famous red leather jacket and her wallet before heading to the door. Turning on her heels, she looks at all three of them.

They look at her like she's crazy.

"What? I'm hungry."

* * *

She ended up not getting a cheeseburger, but she got a plate of fries with bacon and cheese on them because she had been craving them for the past three days. All the calories were worth it. Besides, once Regina is back, she would burn them off.

Emma smirks to herself, staring up at her ceiling. The potion is beside her, glowing a deep red color. Sometimes it bubbles and sometimes it doesn't, but she realized when she thinks of Regina, it senses it, and bubbles.

It's almost as if it is calling her name.

"Maybe if I take a small sip, it won't make me sleep for long and I'll be able to wake up in the morning like nothing ever happened…" She sits up and cups the tiny vial between her fingertips. "I wonder how this works…"

She knew that if she took one sip, she wouldn't be able to stop. She would want to keep going back to relive Regina's life until she realized what really happened. She needs to know what happened to Regina…

The red concoction bubbles again as she takes the cork out of the top and it smells like her perfume. Her heart sinks – she is going to find out what happened to her. And she takes a sip, letting it slink down her throat before she slowly falls backwards into a deep slumber.

* * *

When the wind lashes against her face, she feels like she's flying on air. And her stomach flies up into her chest with every jump and landing that's perfectly performed. There is clapping and cheering from the only one person in the audience that matters and it feels so important to have that one person there even though her thighs are on fire and her pelvic bone feels like it's being hammered.

It's a final jump when she can finally hear the clapping ringing clear in her ears. Hopping down from the horse, her boots collide with the dirt that dashes up the sides. Her hand automatically rises and strokes the horse beside her, gentle and smooth, her head resting against the animals nose.

"That's beautiful sweetheart." He says, coming over and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Regina hugs him with one arm and inside, Emma is looking at him up and down.

She feels every touch to the horses skin and the hug from Regina's father that's warm and welcoming. Their nerves are connected, their brains and their movements. Emma is out of her element in Regina's world – the world she was born in – but now they're linked until she is finally awake.

She didn't think it would feel this real.

_That must be her father…this is so weird. It's like I'm in the back of her head. And…I can feel him hugging her. _

"Thank you Daddy."

Regina's voice almost sounds like a song in Emma's head, but she's the one speaking. She's a ghost but so real. Emma somehow manages to look around; there's a wide open field in the back of what looks like a miniature version of her home as a child. And there is a stable, horses, and random dirt flung places from the horses hooves. And as she finalizes her current place, there is a voice from behind and Emma cringes at the sound of it.

"Beautiful? I'd hardly call that beautiful."

Cora stands there in all her glory, an evil smirk on her face that was laced with distain. Regina's heart drops and all of a sudden there is the hammering in her ears that Emma hears whenever she's running in the morning. Instantly, Emma doesn't like what she's feeling – the fear, the threatening nature of Cora towards Regina that makes the savior come out of Regina's body.

Emma wants to take her down for simply making Regina feel inferior.

But her thoughts are interrupted by Regina's voice, "You didn't like it, Mother." It is more of a statement than a question. A total stranger could see that Cora is completely un-amused by Regina's behavior. Hell, Emma is a stranger in Regina's body and she could see the disappointment and anger in Cora's eyes.

"You ride like a man. A lady should be graceful. You should use a saddle…"

Regina immediately retorts, "I was just having fun."

Emma knows that Regina didn't think about what she said; she always defends herself and it almost comes natural to anyone who knows Regina that she defends herself because it's almost always she is being attacked. But being attacked by her own mother?

She knew Cora was horrible, worse that Regina ever was. But she thought that Regina just took after her mother. Regina never told her anything about her past. If Emma learned about her past, it was from her mother. But even Snow didn't know much about Regina's past.

Emma feels the pressure of Regina's fathers hand and she suddenly feels safe and secure. But she's also hurt – disappointed in herself – and Emma is questioning why. Why is it so important for Regina to please her mother? But Regina feels as if she has to stand up for herself. Just this time in particular, because she's hurt. She rode horseback in front of her father to show her how happy she is when she does so, and here is her mother, slashing her pride in tiny pieces.

And it hurts Emma more than anything to feel the hurt inside of Regina. She never wants her to hurt, but she knew that this memory was the beginning of many that would kill Emma.

"Well, you're getting a little old for fun. Whose going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?"

Regina's heart pluses again and her head drops almost in defeat. Her eyes are focused on the ground as her father steps forward, defending his only daughter, "Honey, please leave her alone." Her stomach tightens at her fathers protection and it feels good, but somehow Emma knows that that isn't enough.

Cora snaps, "Stop coddling her. She's becoming an old maid. All the other girls her age are married. I had such high hopes."

'Old maid' is echoing in the back of Emma's mind. How old was Regina right now anyways? But that didn't matter; Cora is talking down to Regina and it's killing her.

There is the sound of crunching grass as a man walks towards the group. Regina looks up, as does Emma, before inside she feels Regina's heart flutter.

Emma questions why her heart is fluttering, but when she thinks of a possible reason, her insides boil. Regina is hers and only hers.

"My lady, perhaps this saddle -."

"I'm done riding for the day." Regina cuts him off and walks the horse towards him. The man steps up and ropes the horse around it's neck and Regina stares him in the eyes.

_He has nice eyes…_

"And don't you ever interrupt me and my mother again."

That is the tone Emma recognizes as the horse is lead away from Regina. She turns on her heels and sends daggers shooting at her mother.

"Why do you have to always criticize me?" It's a plea for her to stop. Emma knows that and inside she knows Regina does too. But the two of them know, exactly at the same time, that the plea would go unnoticed because Cora wants Regina to be her perfect little doll and Regina wants fuck all to do with it.

"I'm not criticizing you, I'm helping you."

Regina is defeated. And as she starts to walk away, her blood boiling, Cora calls.

"Don't you walk away from me!"

Regina is lifted off of the ground, her legs slightly bound and her arms. Emma wants to scream, and she does a little, which comes out as Regina shrieking. Regina is scared as she starts to writhe gently against the purple aura binding her together.

"Mother! You know I don't like it when you use magic."

"And I don't like insolence. I'll stop using magic when you start being an obedient daughter."

Her voice is cold and chilling. It's the voice you would speak to a child with, but when Cora speaks, shivers are sent up and down Emma's spine. She's so condescending but powerful and Regina knows to not go against her mother. Emma feels Regina's forehead furrow as she works harder against the magic.

_Regina hated magic just as much as Henry…she never liked it. So why did she give in? _

"Why can't I just be myself?" Regina cries. It feels like it tightens just a little more with every move. And with every move Regina makes, Emma feels more and more sick watching this unfold in front of her eyes.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…_

"Because you could be so much more…if you just let me help you."

"I don't care about status,"

_Wait ,what?_

"I just want to be -."

The grip is tightened as belts are lifted from the saddle and lashed around Regina's arms and legs. Now she is barely able to breathe and Emma feels sick to her stomach. The belt is so tight that with every movement, it feels as if the leather is cutting into her skin. The heat is rushing to Regina's eyes with every passing second and more than anything, she wants to be back on the ground. Not be out of her mothers clutches, but the ground.

_She…she's so hurt._

Regina knows that she will never be out of her mothers sight, so she gives in, "Please…I'll be good."

_Regina…_

And her body falls to the ground, breathing normally as she stands up and brushes off her riding clothes. She looks at her parents, more for Emma than her, before she turns on her heels and runs up the hills. Emma doesn't hear anything from her father nor Cora, which probably means to her that her father is wrapped around Cora's finger. And judging by what happened, Regina's father means everything to her.

_But where is he?_

The stable comes into sight after a few seconds of running up the hill. Regina is out of breath by time the shadow of the stable envelops her frame, and she feels safe. This sedates Emma for a while.

"Daniel, I'm sorry I snapped at you."

Emma looks around at the stable before she looks at who seems to be David. He's tall, beautiful bone structure and the same eyes she had noticed earlier. He walks towards Regina once he stops brushing the horse in front of him. She feels her heart quicken with every footstep nearer he comes, and Emma finally admits to herself that Regina loved him.

"That's alright. You'll just have to find a way to make it up to me."

His lips are on hers and she feels so in love at that exact moments, but at the same time, Emma wants to rip him off of Regina and claim her girl. If she did, that would jeopardize the whole thing. And her heart is slamming in her chest, her arms wrapping tightly around David's neck as his hands rest on her lower back. Regina is calm and…happy.

_If she loves me, this is how it feels for her when we kiss…And it's scary that I feel the same way. _

* * *

Emma hears the sound of her alarm ringing in her ears as she sits up. The potions is still in tact beside her on the nightstand and some of it was gone, so it definitely wasn't a dream.

It is real, all of it. And she finally feels like she's in her own body again.

It's nice.

She hears voices from the kitchen and slowly creeps out of bed, making sure to make no noise.

"We should do something for her birthday. To keep her mind off of Regina."

"She said she didn't want to do anything, Snow. We can't go against her word."

"Can I make the cake?"

Emma chuckles to herself. Oh, Henry.

"Still…I think it's a good idea."

There is suddenly a lot of light and Emma's heart races.

The spatula is still stuck.

"Why is my spatula stuck in the window?"

* * *

**Authors Note**: So this scene took a little longer to write because I had to watch the episode and take down every line they said. And I wanted to make sure there was enough emotion conveyed. Anyways, chapters will be posted whenever I feel they're suitable to be read. If anyone has any questions or anything, I'll be linking my Tumblr at the end of every chapter. Your reviews, follows and hits mean a lot to me and I truly appreciate it.

Also, sorry for the Stable Queen. It's needed for the plot. Don't hurt me!

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